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As LA Slowly Expands Transit, Looking at Programs to Get Commuters Out of Their Cars Today

April 21, 2012, 5am PDT

Alissa Walker sheds light on the programs and institutions pushing Angelenos to change their commuting behaviors in an effort to recoup some of the 485 million wasted hours that cost the region more than $10 billion annually due to congestion.

While Los Angeles has begun the long-term implementation of a wide variety of transportation measures aimed to provide an alternative to the automobile, from bike lanes to mass transit, Walker looks at the programs making it easier to shift behaviors now, so that Angelenos can "share, borrow, and rent vehicles so we don't have so many cars on the road."

Among the progressive programs she examines is one that helps place commuters in a carpool or vanpool, an effort to reduce traffic demand by one of the city's largest employers, and a couple of car-sharing services.

While these programs may not add up to a city-wide cultural shift, Walker notes that they might not have to: "Reducing the number of cars on the road by only 2 or 3 percent could cut congestion delays by 10 to 15 percent."